Culturally safe workplace2

Creating a
Culturally
Safe
Workplace
The Diversity Professionals
Copyright © DiversiPro Inc.

Getty Images

It’s Everyone’s Responsibility

“Inclusive organizational cultures leverage
diversity by creating an environment with a
broader bandwidth of acceptable styles of
behaviour and appearance, thereby
encouraging a greater range of available paths
to success.”
Eddie Pate, VP diversity and
inclusion, Avanade Inc.

Culture
Values, beliefs, attitudes, traditions,
and standards of behaviour that
govern the organization of people
into social groups and regulate both
individual and group behaviour.

Notion of modesty
Worldviews
Approach to family
Concept of personal space
Religious beliefs
Concept of self
Rules of Kinships/relationships
Concept & importance of time
Music Arts Celebrations Traditions
Customs Language Symbols
Gender roles
Tempo of work
Learning styles

Geert Hofstede
" Culture is more often a source of
conflict than of synergy. Cultural
differences are a nuisance at best
and often a disaster."

Cultural Intersections
National
PersonalOrganizational

National Culture
Shared understanding based on
the beliefs, values, attitudes,
and behaviours that form the
heritage of a nation state.

Organizational Culture
Shared institutional beliefs,
values, and a guiding philosophy,
which are usually expressed in
vision, mission, and value
statements.

Personal Culture
The integration of individual traits,
skills, and personality formed within
ethnic, racial, familial, and
educational environments.

“Mindbugs”

(AP Photo/Dave Martin)
“A young man walks through chest deep flood water after
looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30,
2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall
on Monday.”

(AFP/Getty Images/Chris
Graythen)
“Two residents
wade through
chest-deep water
after finding bread
and soda from a
local grocery store
after Hurricane
Katrina came
through the area in
New Orleans,
Louisiana.”

The Biased Brain

Impact
• Recruitment, hiring and promotion
• Performance evaluations and compensation
• Team and project assignments, including
opportunities to build relationships across the
organization and/or with key stakeholders
• Client or customer service
• Law enforcement
• Openness to new sources of ideas and innovative
solutions

“Beliefs” inform “Behaviours”
We make
judgments
&
draw
conclusions
We adopt
beliefs (stories)
about people
and the
world
We take actions
based on our
beliefs
Through our
perceptive filters
we make
observations We interpret
these
observations &
make
assumptions
We add our
subjective
meanings

Overriding Unconscious Bias
• Be motivated to control bias
• Be aware of the potential for bias
• Take the time to consider individual
characteristics and avoid stereotyped
evaluations

Leader Responsibility
• Be a good role model
• Be pro-active
• Promote positive and respectful relationships among
employees
• Promote a safe workplace
• Assist with complaints when asked
• Intervene when issues arise
• Take issues seriously
• Advise human resources promptly when issues arise
• Respect the privacy of individuals

Employee Responsibility
• Treat everyone with respect
• Maintain a safe and respectful workplace
• Promptly report issues, that they witness,
through the appropriate channels to ensure that
those experience violence, discrimination, or
harassment receive the support they need
• Cooperate fully with investigations or resolutions
• Maintain confidentiality

What Can Organizations Do?
• Internal Employee Affinity Group
• Peer Advisory Group
• Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council
• Enhanced training
• Open discussion and conversation

• Try to understand the other person's point of
view
• Accept values and opinions that are different
from your own
• Identify your own feelings before you share
your concerns with another person
• Report abuse, discrimination or harassment
• Develop intercultural competence
What can you do?

Intercultural Competence
• Enhance self-awareness and refection
• Deepen understanding of the experiences of
people from different cultural communities—
in perceptions, values, beliefs, behaviour and
practices
• Better able to navigate cultural differences

Intercultural Development Continuum
Denial
Polarization
Minimization
Acceptance
Adaptation
Modified from the Developmental
Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
(DMIS), M. Bennett, 1986
Monocultural
Mindset
Intercultural
Mindset
Misses
Difference
Judges
Difference
De-emphasizes
Difference
Deeply
Comprehends
Difference
Bridges across
Difference

Ask Yourself….
1. Have I personally experienced this before? If not, am I
discrediting your experience because it does not match
mine?
2. Am I open to hear about this experience from you?
3. Am I interested in hearing what you have to say?
4. What is it about listening to your experience/point of view
makes me feel uncomfortable? Why?
5. Do I value your opinion as more or less worthy than mine?
On what basis?
6. Can I name at least three qualities you have that I
appreciate or admire?
7. What can I learn from you?

Things to Remember
• Individual liability Managers cannot automatically assume their
employer will take care of them.
• Power imbalance Managers and supervisors are presumed to
have authority over staff. Just because someone doesn’t object
or even laugh at a manager’s comments or behaviours does not
mean they find it welcome.
• Location and timing is irrelevant Harassment does not have to
occur during the workday or inside the workplace .
• Educate staff Invest in training and raising employee awareness
about boundaries of acceptable conduct.

A Checklist: “Yes” or “No”
• Cultural diversity is part of
the organization's vision
and culture.
• Policies and procedures in
place to support cultural
diversity and to prevent
racism and sexism
• Tensions and conflicts are
resolved in ways that
respect people's different
ways of dealing with
conflict.
• People are acknowledged
and valued for their
contributions.
• Information about
different cultural groups is
readily available in the
workplace.
• Staff receive intercultural
competency training and
feel confident working with
people from diverse
cultural backgrounds.

“Never take a person’s dignity: it is worth
everything to them, and nothing to you."
Frank Barron
1922-2002

Connect with Hamlin Grange
Email: Hamlin@diversipro.com
Telephone: 416-932-8284
Website: www.diversipro.com
On Twitter:
@HamlinGrange
@DiversiPro
http://facebook.com/diversipro

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